Bridge School Benefit review: Older, wiser, better

MUSIC REVIEW

Published 4:00 am, Monday, October 24, 2011

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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The Arcade Fire performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.
Ran on: 10-24-2011
Régine Chassagne (left) and Win Butler of Arcade Fire perform Saturday at the Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View. less

Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Beck performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Beck performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Eddie Vedder performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Eddie Vedder performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Neil Young waves to the crowd after collaborating with Mumford and Sons at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Neil Young waves to the crowd after collaborating with Mumford and Sons at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Fans cheer during the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Fans cheer during the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Mumford and Sons perform at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Neil Young (center) performs with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Neil Young (center) performs with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Neil Young leads all performers in song during the grand finale of the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Neil Young leads all performers in song during the grand finale of the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Dave Matthews performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Dave Matthews performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Neil Young performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Neil Young performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Neil Young performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Neil Young performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Dave Matthews performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Dave Matthews performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Dave Matthews (right) performs with Tim Reynolds at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Dave Matthews (right) performs with Tim Reynolds at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Eddie Vedder performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Eddie Vedder performs at the Bridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011.

Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

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Bridge School Benefit review: Older, wiser, better

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Neil Young casually sauntered onto the stage at Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre late Saturday night with a battered old acoustic slung over his shoulder and a harmonica strapped around his neck. He looked like he was ready to go gardening.

Without saying much, Young played a couple of his more popular songs - "Comes a Time," "Sugar Mountain" and "Long May You Run" - then turned around and faced the row of students and families sitting onstage behind him, including his 32-year-old son, Ben, and started in on a version of "Heart of Gold" that made time stop.

It was a typical Bridge School Benefit concert moment - humble, heartfelt and unexpectedly moving. For 25 years, Young and his wife, Pegi, have called on their famous friends to play these annual acoustic shows to raise money for the school they founded in 1986 for children with severe physical disabilities.

Young not only closed the sold-out concert Saturday but also took to the stage several times throughout the day after his traditional afternoon serenade about seven hours earlier.

He joined Dave Matthews for a tremendous take on "Oh! Susanna," dropped in on British folk outfit Mumford & Sons for a cover of his song "Dance Dance Dance," and surprised Beck with backing vocals midway through his band's rendition of "Pocahontas."

"Wow," said a stunned Beck. "That's a nice surprise."

Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder was also in the mood for collaboration, bringing out Arcade Fire's Régine Chassagne for a duet on the ukulele standard "Tonight You Belong to Me" and Beck - not quite harmonizing but almost singing the same song - for the Everly Brothers' "Sleepless Nights."

Vedder, who put in his 10th appearance at the benefit, dedicated a selection from his recent solo album, "Ukulele Songs," to one of his longtime friends from the school, Maricor Pagsanjan. "She's my hero," he said, giving her a sidelong glance.

The Bridge School students and their families, as always, had the best seats in the house - on a raised platform at the back of the stage. Almost all the performers made a point to turn around and sing for them.

Santana delivered a set that moved from sweet Latin jazz to punched-up versions of his popular tunes "Maria Maria" and "Smooth." Dave Matthews also redrafted several of his band's hits with guitarist Tim Reynolds, giving them intricate, almost classical flourishes. Beck stuck mostly with songs from his 2002 album of ballads, "Sea Change," joined by the same band that played on the original record.

Wearing a black cocktail dress, Jones looked like she was wilting in the sun as she played a country-leaning afternoon set with side act the Little Willies. "We started out as a Willie Nelson cover band," she said before beginning a meandering cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" on Young's battered upright piano. "Now these guys have got to live with that name."

The night's biggest surprise, however, may have been Arcade Fire, which opened the Bay Area festival season a few months earlier with a thunderous headlining appearance at the Outside Lands festival.

At the Shoreline, the Canadian indie rock collective showed it could conjure just as much power even when stripped of the usual sonic frills, rollicking through twangy versions of "The Suburbs," "Rebellion (Lies)" and Young's "Helpless" with the man himself.

"I can honestly say, I don't think a lot of us would be in a band if it wasn't for Neil Young," singer-guitarist Win Butler said.

That would explain why this benefit gets bigger and better every year.

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